Tigers beat Dodgers without VMart and Cabrera

Detroit Tigers’ J.D. Martinez, right, slides safely into home plate under the tag of Los Angeles Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis in the fourth inning of a baseball game in Detroit, Wednesday, July 9, 2014.
PAUL SANCYA — The Associated Press

Instead, it was no problem, as the rest of the team stepped up in the absence of Victor Martinez (sore side) and Miguel Cabrera (well-deserved day off), and produced a 4-1 win Wednesday afternoon to complete the sweep of the two-game series.

“Baseball’s a game like that, where even without your best player, you can go out there and win,” manager Brad Ausmus said, noting that Don Kelly, the replacement for Cabrera — who just recorded his 101st game of three or more hits for the Tigers Tuesday — recorded his second three-hit game of the season, adding an RBI.

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Runs were going to be hard to come by with Greinke, anyway, but fielding a lineup that was missing both the No. 3 and No. 4 hitters had to put a little bit of pressure on Tigers starter Max Scherzer to match him, right?

“No, not really, because I believe in the other guys to step up. When Donnie gets into the game, I know he’s itching to get in there, and get his at-bats in. I always know he’s ready to play,” said Max Scherzer (11-3), who made his final start before the All-Star Game. “I believe in everybody in this clubhouse, when they get their number called, they’re going to respond. Sure enough, they did today.”

Kelly went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Ian Kinsler drove in a run and scored a run. NIck Castellanos and Torii Hunter both drove in one.

“It feels good because it’s cool that we don’t have to only rely on Miguel and Victor to do all the producing,” Castellanos said. “It’s cool that when Victor’s down and Miggy gets a day off to beat, not only the Dodgers but the Dodgers when Greinke’s pitching.”

Just as importantly, Austin Jackson continued to make strides in his return to the leadoff spot, scoring two runs, one in the first to start the game, and one in the eighth to give closer Joe Nathan (18th save) a little more cushion.

“Yeah, he’s been swinging the bat great. Everybody always talked about him at the leadoff like he wasn’t the prototypical leadoff hitter. But he’s always hit. Whether he was hitting .270 or .300, you’re talking about a difference of maybe 8-10 hits, a couple of bloopers,” Alex Avila said. “But the thing with Austin is he can run, he’s always a threat not only to get a base hit but to have an extra-base hit. Like today, leading off the game — boom, triple. Instant run. He definitely looks pretty comfortable there.”

Scherzer’s only big mistake was a solo home run to Miguel Rojas in the fifth. He turned the ball over to Joba Chamberlain after seven strikeouts in seven innings, and Chamberlain turned it over to Nathan to close it out.

“Obviously without Miguel and Victor in the lineup, that changes the whole dynamic of the lineup,” Jackson said, “but guys were able to step up today, and we got some runs for Max, and the bullpen took care of business.”